


Chance Encounters

by Yuni30



Series: Nymph Hugs [8]
Category: Ni no Kuni
Genre: Chance Meetings, Companions, Familiars, Friendship, Gen, Pets, Yeti - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-14 02:45:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14126403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuni30/pseuds/Yuni30
Summary: Fluffy snow monsters make the best friends.(This work can also be found as a drabble chapter for "Nymph Hugs" over on Fanfiction.net along with its sibling works.)





	Chance Encounters

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Like A Brother](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/366876) by Wherever Girl. 



> Yo! I did it. I wrote about the Winter Isle's arch… and a little about heading to Perdida… But mostly Winter Isles. I introduce one of the familiars that kind of grew on me (kind of like how Swaine did) as I had him in my party: the Sasquash turned Papa Sasquash here. I changed the name due to fear of copyright, but all's good. It's still, to me, the same derpy 'squash that I love.
> 
> Anyway. Enjoy.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own this game like I own a real-life yeti. I don't own a Yeti. Where would I even keep one?

The chilly winter air attempted to cut through the group, despite their newly obtained coats. They trudged up the hill towards the cave. Luckily, their warmth was well maintained due to all the beasts they fought during their trek up the mountain.

The two kids and the fairy seemed to do well acclimating to the snowy terrain. The thinner older man that accompanied them, however, stumbled now and again, all the while shivering in the cold.

They had nearly reached the Glittering Grotto- it could be seen in the distance. "Wow, it really does glitter," Oliver admired, gazing at the frozen over snow topping the entrance.

As if on cue, there was a soft thud behind the three. They looked back to see the thief lying face first in the snow, his arms sprawled out as if he had tried to catch himself in the fall.

"Oi, mind youer step. Snow places like this one, here, have got some pretty nasty terrain," the fairy warned a moment too late.

"Hey, are you alright," Esther asked out of concern.

Swaine lifted his head from the snow and clumps of the frozen material fell from his face in a small pile in front of him, small flecks of white sticking to his hood and parts of his face. "Oh, I'm fine. You know. Just freezing in the tundra of the Winter Isles," he sarcastically snapped. "Just peachy." He got up and began to dust himself off angrily. A chill seemed to run through him, the wet of the snow having seeped into his parka.

He shivered worse now, holding himself tighter than before. "Dammit. Now I'm even colder…," he cursed quietly.

"Will you stop complaining? We're all cold," the blond chastised.

"He is a bit thin. Maybe it affects him more," Oliver defended, remembering how gaunt the man looked when they first met.

"Maybe he needs a thicker jacket, like," suggested Drippy, crossing his arms and jerking his head at Swaine.

"What I need is to get out of this pla-!" Before he could finish their retort a blur of white tackled him. The three jumped and it took a moment to process what they were seeing. There on top of the thief was a Sasquash, pinning him down in the snow. "Ack! What the hell?!" He gazed up at a blue ape-like face in shock and fear as it sniffed him.

Oliver and Esther rushed to aid their friend, afraid of what it might do to the thief. To their wonder, the creature started to lick Swaine's face excitedly. The two kids exchanged a curious glance before breaking into a giggling fit.

"Pfft-! Yech… Hey! A little help, you two," the man cried as he continued to be assaulted by a large pink tongue.

"I think you made a new friend, Swaine," Oliver commented between giggles much to his friend's chagrin.

"It matches you perfectly," the familiar tamer added, covering her mouth with her glove as more laughter escaped her. Swaine glared at them sourly.

The creature suddenly stopped licking him to his relief. It seemed to maneuver around him, still pinning the thief in the snow, and sat next to the man's body. It picked him up and held him like a baby, pressing the former prince into its fur.

The warmth of the fur shocked Swaine, expecting a creature from the cold wastelands of the Winter Isles to be just as frigid as its environment. Despite the newfound comfort, he didn't like the idea of being coddled like a child.

"So… What do we do? It doesn't seem hostile for a Sasquash," the young wizard observed. He couldn't help but smile at how restrained the thief was being, despite how he was being handled.

"Yeah, maybe it confused Swaine for one of its pack," Esther reasoned, though unsure. "Wait… its kind roam in packs, right?"

"Does he look like a furry snow beast," Drippy commented irritably looking up at her, overlooking the girl's question.

"Well, we can't just attack it, it might hurt him. Or it might hurt us… or both," Oliver thought, looking to the others.

While they bickered, the thief had relaxed into the fluffy giant's arms, happy for the warmth it provided him. He knew he had to have looked absolutely ridiculous, but he didn't care. Anything beat freezing to death in the cold wet snow.

A snore alerted the three from their argument on what to do with the Sasquash. They looked to find that Swaine had fallen asleep in its arms. The beast nuzzled the thief, who only shifted in response.

"Heavy sleeper as always," Esther sighed. She began to walk towards the fluffy monster.

Seeing the girl coming close to it and its new friend, the Sasquash let out a loud snarl. It startled their sleeping companion awake.

"What the- Did I fall asleep?!" He felt the creature's grip on him tighten and heard it growl even louder as Esther and Oliver cautiously continued to approach. "Hey, hey," Swaine soothed, freeing his right arm and placing his hand gently on the giant fluffy being's face. "You don't need to protect me from them."

The Sasquash cast a softened look at Swaine who gave a reassuring nod. It wined in confusion, looking between the thief and his party before eventually, gently, letting the man go.

The two stopped advancing on the strange pair and watched as their older friend pet the yeti on the head, receiving a side nuzzle in return. "Did Swaine just…" Esther began.

"He did… He tamed a familiar," Oliver finished, astonished at the sudden addition to their team.

They continued to watch as Swaine called out Soliton the Grandsun, explaining the change in his crew of familiars. The Grandsun gave a nod- as much as it could being a flaming disk with a face and flew into the creature cage.

"How about it, do you want to be part of the team," the thief asked, jabbing his thumb at the other three. It looked at them and the man it had recently just tackled and cuddled with and nodded, but not before scratching its chest. Swaine chuckled and pet the giant fuzz-ball again. "You're not all bad, see? Just a big squishy pushover…"

"So you made a new friend," Oliver asked, drawing closer to the two.

The thief scratched the back of his head, though the parka softened the action. "Yeah, just in time, too. I was beginning to think I needed a familiar with a little more 'oomph' to it." He looked down at the burly snow beast with a smile. "Squishy hear will help with that, for sure."

"'Squishy'…," Esther asked. It wasn't the first name she'd go with for the yeti-like creatures.

"What? He's big and squishy. You've got a better name," Swaine retorted, waiting to hear their ideas.

"No, Squishy's a good name," Oliver corrected before Esther could continue their verbal match. As soon as its name was decided, Squishy started to glow a faint green, a sign that it had joined the thief's brood of familiars.

~*~*~

They had been up all night making strategic plans for the inevitable battle against Shadar. On top of that, they had recently faced many monsters akin to the area around Perdida. The group was subsiding on coffee alone to keep them awake.

It didn't cut it for the thief anymore. Noticing how close he was to passing out on their way up the mountain, he stopped a few feet behind the others.

Esther and Oliver turned around, holding the small cups of espresso. Their conversation about what the fight would be like and what familiars to use ceased when they saw the older man begin to sway from side to side.

"You don't look so good," Oliver said, watching as Swaine nearly stumbled and from his own lack of cognizance.

He shook his head, trying to fend off sleep. He put his right hand out to ease his younger friends' worries. "'t's okay," he slurred out of sleep deprivation and exhaustion. It hadn't been an easy day for any of them. "I'll be fine…," he yawned, slowly beginning to walk up the hillside.

"You certainly don't look 'fine'," Esther added a little groggily herself- the espresso was enough to keep her up though.

Swaine shot her an irritable look. He tried to move faster to prove his point, but tripped over himself, landing on top of a familiar furry snow monster. The thief opened his eyes and looked at the creature's face with a smile. "Thanks, Squishy…" He leaned into Yeti for a moment, the soft fur beckoning him to sleep.

The Papa Sasquash snorted in response, rolling its eyes. It picked up its lanky friend and put him on its back. The beast, now almost larger than its owner, walked up to the others, signaling them to continue up to Perdida.

"Can you do that," the familiar tamer asked, looking at Oliver. The wizard looked to Mr. Drippy.

"He's not even awake… How's that possible," the boy asked.

Drippy watched as the creature effortlessly climbed up the mountain, sleeping thief in tow. "He can as long as his will demands it."

"Really," the two kids exclaimed in shock.

The fairy nodded. "It's not like he's asking it to do much, is it? As long as it's nothing too big and thief-face wills it, the big fluffy so-and-so can do whatever he ordered it to do, even asleep."

"So, it _can't_ be used in battle," the blond clarified.

The fairy nodded and the three followed the giant creature up to Perdida. Oliver reflected on how the furry beast joined them. It still puzzled him to that day.

Esther, noticing the lost look on her companion's face, nudged him. His head snapped up to attention. "Huh," he asked, looking in her direction.

"Something the matter? You look concerned."

The red-head nodded. "Oh… Yeah. It's about Squishy."

"What about him?"

"It's not like Swaine chose him, it's more like he chose Swaine," Oliver discussed, waving his hands subtly for emphasis.

Esther put her hand to her chin. "Yeah, I see what you mean…" She yawned.

The young wizard chuckled. "It's funny what you think of when you're sleepy." He received a chuckle in return.

"Haha, yeah." She looked to the Papa Sasquash who had taken the lead, smirking at the snoring thief draped over its back.

Needless to say, they were checking into an inn the moment they reached town.

**Author's Note:**

> So, we meet again. The end of another drabble.
> 
> I wanted to write about my Papa 'Squash, Appa but felt to change the name. Copyright and stuff. He was originally got for a quest, but I figured to keep him around for the sake of giving Swaine a tank. Plus, I like the idea of Swaine having a big fluffy friend that he could ride around on if he wanted to. I think he'd look pretty freaking OP riding the furry snow monster into battle.
> 
> Also, I wanted to touch on something. I think it would have been cool to have it where different characters tame beasts differently and even have it where the beasts choose who they prefer to be tamed by. Some of them could even deviate from that character's favored genus. Kind of like how various characters have different miracle moves. I just don't like always having to have Esther on the team to catch familiars when I could have Marcassin, Swaine, or Oliver fill the role. My Esther has a lower level than those three, so it does put me at a handicap.
> 
> At any rate. Review with thoughts. I'd love to hear 'em. Don't be shy.


End file.
